Readers react to Saka's "I don port" MTN TVC

           

By Atim Nkese Nkpubre

Welcome to a brand new week. On behalf of the team at The Communicat, I hereby apologise to our esteemed readers and loyal followers of our blog who were unable to share their thoughts with us, owing to systemic issues.
Last week, there was a little challenge on the platform that made it difficult for readers to post their comments to The Communicat. The problem has been rectified, thankfully. While it lasted, however, many fans traced us to our BlackBerry platform and email addresses and twitter handles  etc. to air their feelings on last week’s article captioned: Mobile Number Portability in Nigeria: Matters Arising.
And judging from the deluge and content of the responses that we received, it would appear that the controversy generated by the porting of Saka to MTN may not die down anytime soon. While some applauded the “sheer brilliance of MTN” for leveraging on the loophole that the company identified in the market place, others described the action as an outright ‘coup’ deserving of sanctions!
An ‘aggrieved’ follower of our blog even said that Etisalat has already shot and was merely putting finishing touches to a counter advert that would shake the industry to its foundation.
We also got responses about why Mobile Number Portability may not work in Nigeria in the current dispensation.  Reactions such as, “great idea”, “huge joke”, “it can work in Nigeria” flooded our inboxes and handles.
We have reproduced a few of the responses below for your reading pleasure. Do have a nice week, guys and, God bless:


“I’ve read and digested your interesting piece on Mobile Number Portability in Nigeria which I found very illuminating. The fallout of the “I don port” ad will remain an industry reference material for a long time, especially as it relates to ownership and management of intellectual property (IP) rights.
“I also noted your gracious comments about your ‘darling’ MTN. It goes without saying ‘you knew where the dead were buried’ over there  .” Welldone. 
Emeka Ozumba, Communications Strategist, Abuja 

 “My Sister, I understand your passion and subtle bias for your former employer, but we’re talking about weighty issues here. MTN should be sanctioned for holding its competitor by the jugular. That was a blow below the belt. The good thing is that the guys at Etisalat would not fold their arms and watch the Yellow guys enjoy their moment in the sun at their expense. I’ve been told that Etisalat has already shot and is putting finishing touches to a counter advert that will shake the industry to its foundation. MTN may not have the last laugh, after all.” 
Fabian Ukoh, Banker, Lagos.

Very beautiful piece here! The second to your last paragraph nailed it for me. If there is anything I crave for when buying any products or services, it is the quality of the particular product. It would do the consumers a whole world of good if the operators improve on the quality of service as against engaging in who is poaching who and which 'porting' advert is best. I do not think the subscribers need all that wrangling.
On a lighter note, Saka 'don port go' with his millions, MTN has achieved the attention as strategised and probably more subscribers porting to its network while the unsuspecting consumers are still experiencing service failure. Smh!
Mercy Attih, Lagos

“Your article on Mobile Number Portability in Nigeria: Matters Arising was well thought-out! Well done.
'I don port' is no doubt an advertising coup, and I see it winning so many laurels. It has become a case study in marketing communications, the same status 'My Oga at the top' recently earned. Brand custodians now have to carefully look at the small prints in the contracts of their models andambassador. However beyond the entertainment, how well have Nigerians understood MNP? I think the awareness level is rather low. In addition, there are reports of delay in completing the porting process which is meant to last a maximum of 48 hours. Having to wait for 90 days to make another switch is also considered rather too long.
“Consumers have also experienced hiccups across all the networks since the MNP launch, something the service providers have got to fix quickly.Finally, in a country where subscribers have resorted to having multiple lines, how well can MNP serve its purpose? The average GSM user is already on more than two networks, so where else would he or she port?”
MA, Marketing Communications Consultant, Lagos.

MTN's 'Saka' Advert Violates NCC Rules - Etisalat

By Zakariyya Adaramola

Etisalat Nigeria has said the MTN's new advert on Mobile Number Portability (MNP) violated the Nigerian Communications Commission and Advertisement Practitioners Council of Nigeria's rules and that both regulatory agencies should wield their sticks on the dominant telecoms company.
Etisalat's director, brands & communications, Enitan Denloye, told Daily Trust that the MNP 'Saka' advert currently run by MTN is a violation of laid down rules by the NCC and APCON and Etisalat had engaged both organizations to address the issue. Responding to a question sent to her through email, Denloye said Etisalat is an ethical company that executes its business strategies within the rules and regulations of the industry and would not want a rival company get her into regulator's trouble.

"As an organization, our core values are passion for excellence, integrity, growing and empowering people. We have empowered and will continue to empower upcoming artistes and stars such as 'Saka', who we have featured in several adverts in the past.

"We believe the MNP adverts currently run by MTN is a violation of laid down rules by the NCC and APCON and we have engaged both organizations to address this issue and promote a competitive environment for all operators. "Etisalat remains a customer focused organization, and will continue to promote rising stars, deliver innovative products and services as well as superior quality network", she said.

But MTN said it has not done anything wrong as far as the 'Saka' ad is concerned.
One of the MTN officials, who spoke with Daily Trust on the issue yesterday, said the ad in question was vetted by regulators before it was released.
The official, who pleaded not to be named, added that any operator could decide to use any celebrity it deems fit for its ad and promotions...

Culled from the Daily Trust